1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates of an improved wheel attachment mechanism for child vehicles, such as a stroller or carriage, and wherein the swivel joint of the mechanism is surrounded by a protective member to prevent foreign matter from clogging the joint, and further wherein the wheel attachment mechanism may be dismantled by removable fasteners for servicing the mechanism or attaching replacement parts.
2. Description of Prior Art
Known child vehicle wheel attachment mechanisms of the prior art, and specifically of the type wherein there is provided a swivel joint so that the wheels are supported in a swivel manner, are all constructed with the parts permanently secured to one another and to the legs of the child vehicle frame. A disadvantage of this is, seeing that such vehicles are normally supported on four sets of wheels, that as soon as one set of wheels is defective the entire vehicle, stroller or carriage, is returned to the merchant and then back to the manufacturer for repair. This is cumbersome as fairly large articles must be handled by the merchants and thus make it costly to handle, ship and store, which adds to the repair cost that is passed on to the user if the defect occurred after the warranty period, as is usually the case.
Another disadvantage of this prior art type of wheel attachment mechanism is that the swivel joint is usually located immediately above the wheels where mud, dust, sand and water is projected by the wheels, thus causing rapid wear of the parts in the joint area where materials are continuously rubbing against one another. This wear eventually leads to the loosening of parts and breakage. Still further, the axle of the wheels is normally secured by immovable fasteners and this wears down the wheels in the axle area once foreign matter enters that area. In conclusion, because of such construction, it has not been possible for the users to perform periodic maintenance of the wheel attachment mechanisms of such vehicles, and such as replacing, cleaning and lubricating the component parts. If the part wears down or breaks due to a construction defect, the user cannot effect the repair himself and must return the entire vehicle to the manufacturer. Thus, the user may be absent of his vehicle for a long period of time making it awkward to handle a child during that period of repair by the manufacturer, as such vehicles are indispensible for young infants.